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No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg didn't get off to the best start in NBA Summer League with the Dallas Mavericks, but he quickly avenged himself. In his second Summer League game against the San Antonio Spurs, Flagg carried the Mavericks with 31 points on 10-for-21 shooting, knocking down a trio of 3-pointers in the process.
Flagg was even able to get those numbers despite a lackluster 8-of-13 day from the free-throw line. Now, after a stellar performance, the Mavericks have made a somewhat predictable decision on Flagg's Summer League future.
Dallas is officially shutting down Flagg for the rest of Summer League, and he will now start to get ready for his rookie season, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line.
This decision doesn't come as much of a surprise, and it is something that has frequently happened with other No. 1 picks and top prospects over the years. However, it is still slightly disappointing for Mavericks fans that wanted to see him play some more basketball before his rookie season.
Flagg's first game, on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Lakers, didn't go as smoothly as the second one did. He finished that game shooting just 5-of-21 from the field and scored just 10 points. While his ability to impact the game in other ways was on full display, he struggled in his first game in an NBA jersey.
However, it's clear through two games that the Mavericks have seen enough from Flagg. He is very clearly capable of being the same impactful, versatile force that he was at Duke and they don't need him to prove that in Summer League any more. He will certainly have a huge role on the team this season and risking an injury would not be wise.
In the second game against the Spurs, Flagg showed off all of his skills. He made a couple of jump shots, created for himself a bit, and got into the lane and got to the free-throw line. Those are all very positive signs for him as he heads into his first camp in Dallas with high expectations on his shoulders.
